White spots on clownfish

[Brad Coughlan]

I haven't added any new live stock for over a month

I was just scrubbing the rocks with a toothbrush, which this clownfish hates and attacks all the time. He gets really stressed whenever I use it. When I removed the toothbrush, I noticed these ich-like spots on him... I have not seen this before today, I am unsure if he had this before the rock scrubbing today though.

Is this ich? Going fallow is going to be hard since I have more rock now than when I did it before

 

[Uncle99]

I don’t see ick.
Early Brook?
Scrapes?
Hopefully the gurus will chime in.

 

[Brad Coughlan]

I don’t see ick.
Early Brook?
Hopefully the gurus will chime in.

I'm happy to hear that it doesn't look like ich,
I am unsure if it is brook because I have not added any livestock whatsoever for about 40 days, so brook introduced then would have been visible right now. If ich, I am thinking that some stress event (the toothbrush with the clown) triggered it and I was managing it?

I am hopeful that it's not disease, due to the lack of new stock

 

[Uncle99]

It may be nothing much.
Just doesn’t look like ick, these would be more formed, oval ish in shape,white to grayish.

Any behavior changes?
Eat well?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I haven't added any new live stock for over a month

I was just scrubbing the rocks with a toothbrush, which this clownfish hates and attacks all the time. He gets really stressed whenever I use it. When I removed the toothbrush, I noticed these ich-like spots on him... I have not seen this before today, I am unsure if he had this before the rock scrubbing today though.

Is this ich? Going fallow is going to be hard since I have more rock now than when I did it before

This clown seems to have secondary bacterial lesions generally associated with brook which a couple of signs associated with brook are not present at least to convince me. confused with ich and can turn into secondary bacteria often confused with ich. Other symptoms if brook will be lethargic behavior, refusing to eat and heavy breathing from mucus. You can safely treat with Ruby Rally Pro which will address brook also should it arise

 

[Brad Coughlan]

It may be nothing much.
Just doesn’t look like ick, these would be more formed, oval ish in shape,white to grayish.

Any behavior changes?
Eat well?

Yeah the clown seems perfectly fine, providing that the toothbrush is in the tank (I don't know why he hates it so much, but it seems like he has started doing it since he's been being hosted by the frogspawn)

After I did the rock scrubbing that stressed him out, you could visually see that by a fast breathing rate on the fish

As for eating, he eats perfectly fine, even just a minute ago after the stress event

The main thing that worries me about these spots is the amount of them, and the fact that they are slightly raised off the surface of the skin, there also seems to be a white dot on the fin area

 

[Brad Coughlan]

This clown seems to have secondary bacterial lesions generally associated with brook which a couple of signs associated with brook are not present at least to convince me. confused with ich and can turn into secondary bacteria often confused with ich. Other symptoms if brook will be lethargic behavior, refusing to eat and heavy breathing from mucus. You can safely treat with Ruby Rally Pro which will address brook also should it arise

Thanks

Do you think I should remove brook from the equation, since no new livestock has been introduced for about 40 days? If something then introduced it, I can imagine that symptoms would be present way before today

Should I still consider ich? The amount the spots are raised from the surface is what concerns me, and the fact that there is a white dot on some of his fin - It's also the fact that I have seen some posts about people managing ich and then some stress event causing an outbreak

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks

Do you think I should remove brook from the equation, since no new livestock has been introduced for about 40 days? If something then introduced it, I can imagine that symptoms would be present way before today

Should I still consider ich? The amount the spots are raised from the surface is what concerns me, and the fact that there is a white dot on some of his fin - It's also the fact that I have seen some posts about people managing ich and then some stress event causing an outbreak

Ich is low on my concern list and bacterial lesions and even early stage brook is more suspect. Ruby covers a variety of issues safely

 

[Uncle99]

Are you saying before toothbrush that was not there?
Then after, there?
Do I read that right?

You have 2 marks unknown, and no other symptoms.
No way to diagnos that unless it progresses.

 

[Brad Coughlan]

Are you saying before toothbrush that was not there?
Then after, there?
Do I read that right?

You have 2 marks unknown, and no other symptoms.
No way to diagnos that unless it progresses.

The clown was stressed after the toothbrush was there, but when I fed a few minutes after he ate no problem

 

[Brad Coughlan]

Ich is low on my concern list and bacterial lesions and even early stage brook is more suspect. Ruby covers a variety of issues safely

If brook, I'd be unsure how that was introduced, it only seems to be this clown with symptoms of anything, so if ich or brook when should I expect to see symptoms on other fish? (other clown, firefish, blenny)

 

[Uncle99]

If brook, I'd be unsure how that was introduced, it only seems to be this clown with symptoms of anything, so if ich or brook when should I expect to see symptoms on other fish? (other clown, firefish, blenny)

It would get noticeably worst in next few days.
More of what you see now.
Plus eating slow or stop and/or lathargic swimming, tired looking with fast respiration.

Me, I treat nothing until I have a clear direction on what I’m trying to fix, that can’t be fixed by the fish itself.

 

[Brad Coughlan]

It would get noticeably worst in next few days.
More of what you see now.
Plus eating slow or stop and/or lathargic swimming, tired looking with fast respiration.

Me, I treat nothing until I have a clear direction on what I’m trying to fix, that can’t be fixed by the fish itself.

Thanks

When my fish had ich before, I did a treatment and fallow period, but removing the fish now would be extra difficult since I have more rock, catching that firefish will probably take a bunch of time by itself

 

[Uncle99]

You had ick before?
When?
That’s a bit of a flag!

Just keep close watch every day, it may disappear and reappear, or disappear for good.

 

[Brad Coughlan]

You had ick before?
When?
That’s a bit of a flag!

Just keep close watch every day, it may disappear and reappear, or disappear for good.

It started about August 2023,
Sorry, was meant to say that I cured that outbreak and reintroduced the fish last Decemeber, been ich free since then (and hope that I still am providing that these spots aren't ich)

 

[vetteguy53081]

If brook, I'd be unsure how that was introduced, it only seems to be this clown with symptoms of anything, so if ich or brook when should I expect to see symptoms on other fish? (other clown, firefish, blenny)

Brook is a parasite known as brooklynella hostillis and is often caused by new fish introduced with it, poor water quality and contact with fish already infected.
This has nothing to do with past ich hence advise given and again MAY be early stage.

 

[Brad Coughlan]

Brook is a parasite known as brooklynella hostillis and is often caused by new fish introduced with it, poor water quality and contact with fish already infected.
This has nothing to do with past ich hence advise given and again MAY be early stage.

Just to clarify - The past ich was cured after I did a copper treatment and fallow period, and the last livestock or potential transition of disease was 40 days ago, so this is why I am confused if it is brook or ich

 

[vetteguy53081]

Just to clarify - The past ich was cured after I did a copper treatment and fallow period, and the last livestock or potential transition of disease was 40 days ago, so this is why I am confused if it is brook or ich

I understand And based on size and location, I highly doubt ich and appears as secondary bacterial lesions. You will know in 24 hours as ich will increase in appearance on fish in higher number. Regardless, the fish should be entered into quarantine as waiting will increase the risk of spread

 

[Brad Coughlan]

I understand And based on size and location, I highly doubt ich and appears as secondary bacterial lesions. You will know in 24 hours as ich will increase in appearance on fish in higher number. Regardless, the fish should be entered into quarantine as waiting will increase the risk of spread

Thanks

A good sign is that the other fish do not have any spots. Unfortunately, catching the fish is going to be a very difficult task due to the rock. The fire fish will just dart into a rock

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks

A good sign is that the other fish do not have any spots. Unfortunately, catching the fish is going to be a very difficult task due to the rock. The fire fish will just dart into a rock

In that event, you lift the rock slowly with the net underneath and transfer to a bucket with tank water. During the process, it may release and fall into net. If not, it will come out of rock in bucket and you quickly lift the rock and its out in the open